Meet Our New Staff
By The Tides Staff
Have you been wondering about the new faces here at BBES this year? Well, here is the scoop:
The school hired five new teachers this year: Mrs. Nancy Merkelbach in pre-school; Ms. Ashley Gianfrancesco in middle school math and computers; instructional aides Mrs. Risa Nardone and Mr. Andrew Robinson; and Mrs. Sonali Khatri, an occupational therapist.
Ms. Gianfrancesco comes to us from South Plainfield. She graduated from The College of New Jersey. She lives in Long Branch and has two dogs — a yorkie named Mia, and a puggle named Rascal. A fun fact about Miss Gianfrancesco is she once bowled nine strikes in a row and got a high score of 267.
“BBES reminds me of the school that I went to for grades one to four,” she said. “Teachers and students have been extremely welcoming. I’m happy to come to school every day to be a part of this fantastic community.”
(Photos courtesy of Ms. Gianfrancesco, Ms. Khatri, and Mrs. Nardone)
Ms. Khatri, an occupational therapist for all grade levels, also teaches at Spotswood Public Schools. She lives in Marlboro. She graduated from Mumbai University, India, and has two children — a 13-year-old son, and an 11-year-old daughter. Ms. Khatri said she likes working with preschoolers and kindergartners the best because their innocence brings a smile to her face. She also loves the friendly and knowledgeable BBES staff.
Mrs. Nardone, who lives in West Belmar, was a substitute teacher here at BBES last year. She has a 16 year old son, a dog named Howie, a step daughter and a grandson. A very fun fact about Mrs. Nardone is that she owns an arcade in Belmar!
Of BBES, she says, “I love the students and staff. It’s a great school where students and staff treat each other with respect, kindness, and humor. I laugh and smile every day, which not many people can say about their jobs.”
Stay tuned for next issue when we interview Mr. Robinson and Mrs. Merkelbach.
The Tides 